Gunpowder.



CONRAD PAL'L HUBER-T CLAESSEN, OF BERLIN, GERMANY.

GUNPOWDER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented March 2, 1909.

Application filed September 22, 1906. Serial No. 335,819.

T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CONRAD PAUL HU- BERT CLAnssEN, doctor of philosophy and chemist, su bject'of Prussia, residing at Dorotheenstrasse 45, Berlin, Germany, have invented new and useful Improvements in and Relating to the Manufacture of Gunpowder, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to smokeless powder for iire arms and ordnance. In many cases it has been proved advantageous in the case ofpowderof this kind to diminish the muzzleliame, occurring when a shot is fired, or to entirely prevent the same. In order to attain this end, it is necessary to considerably lower the combustionrtemperatures of the powder and to increase the ignition-temperature of the combustion gases produced when a shotis discharged. This purpose has hitherto been attained by an addition of indifferent orneutral bodies, such as Vaseline, camphor or the like.

cellulose-i'iitroglycerin powders of a mixture of indifferent or neutral bodies with small quantities .of alkali bicarbonate, smokeless powder, which are practically free or nearly free of muzzle-flame and fulfil the ballistic rc uiren'icnts.

have now lound that smokeless nltrooellulose-nitroglvcerln powder containing a Powders of very high combustion temperatures, such as IIItI'OCQl combination of small quantities of organic indifferent substances with small quantities (12%) of salts of the bibasic organic acids do not show the formation of muzzle-flames and have a sufficient ballistic efficiency and the stability of the said species of powders.

As indifferent organic substances suitablefor my purposes I have found OllS, fats or resins.

The skilled workman will select the substances suitable for this special purpose according to the price of the substances. As salts of the bibasic organic acids suitable for my purposes I have found the salts of tar taric, lactic, oxalic, malic, pyromucic, salicylic acid. The skilled workman will select the salts suitable for his special purpose according to the price of the substances.

As an example for a gunpowder according to my invention 1 quote the following.

by weight.

H I (I Having thus described my invention what I claim as new and desire. to secure by lietters Patent is,

An explosive consisting of anintimate mixture of nitrocellulose, nitroglycerin, vaseline and potassium lactate in substantially the proportions specified.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

CONRAD PAUL HUBERT CLAESSEN. Witnesses:

HENRY HASPER,

WoLDEMAR l'IAUPT. 

